


A Story for You

by RoseyR



Category: South Park
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Never Met, Developing Relationship, M/M, POV Craig Tucker, POV First Person, POV Third Person, POV Tweek Tweak, Story within a Story, Writer Craig Tucker, Writer's Block, coffee shop owner Tweek Tweak
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-11-06 22:48:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17948621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseyR/pseuds/RoseyR
Summary: This is a story about a writer suffering from writer's block, and a coffee shop owner who would always glance over at the writer whenever he comes by.





	A Story for You

This is a story about a lonely astronaut. The astronaut has lived up in space for a long time, no friends, no family, not even a pet. The astronaut would explore the entirety of space, exploring planets, finding rare plant life, and trying to find a place he could call home. However, the one thing the astronaut desperately wanted was a friend, he didn't want to be alone anymore.

Ever since his home on Earth was destroyed, along with half of the human population, the astronaut was all alone. The astronaut desperately tries to contact any other humans that may have survived from the fall of planet earth, but no matter how close he was to contacting someone, anyone, they were all too far away to reach him. So now, the astronaut traveled around space, hoping to find anyone to keep him company.

Suddenly, the astronaut's radars detected a life form on a nearby planet. The astronaut's heart was thumping in his chest as he took his ship to the planet. He soon landed and quickly got out, excitement filled his chest. Once the astronaut had his suit on, he took a step outside, ready to meet this new life form. The astronaut looked around, hoping to see this life form. However, as the astronaut looked around, all he saw was a barren wasteland, no plants, no water, no life form, only sand and rocks.

The astronaut looked and looked, but found nothing, he didn't see anyone. The astronaut fell to his knees, a wave of sadness filled his heart. He truly thought he would find a friend, but he found no one. The astronaut feared that he would be alone forever.

Just as the astronaut was ready to give up, he suddenly noticed a glowing light in the distance. The astronaut lifted his head and was shocked to see a figure appearing out of nowhere, a beam of light radiating from their bodies. The astronaut stared at the being, his face was red as he stared at the beautiful creature that was now walking towards him. The being took a step closer, their eyes not once leaving the astronaut. Once the being was a feet away from the astronaut, it stood there silently, watching.

"Why are you here?" The being asked, their voice was angelic to the astronaut.

The astronaut took a deep breath, he was nervous as he stared at the beautiful being. Taking a brave step, the astronaut cleared his throat and introduced himself. "Greetings...I'm a human from the once known planet earth, I have come...seeking friendship," the astronaut said.

The being stared at him, surprised. The being smiled before taking a step forward and asking another question. "What is your name?"

The astronaut stared, his cheeks were flushed as he suddenly became shy. "....My name is...."

* * *

"......" I stared at my draft once then twice, then finally a third time. I'm barely on he second page, but as I read through the story over and over, I felt pissed. "God damn it!" I groaned as I started deleting everything I just wrote. Great, now I'm back to the beginning.

I stared at the blank page, trying to come up with a story idea, but so far, I got nothing. God, if I don't come up with something soon, Freddy is going to kill me, and I know he isn't going to be happy if I asked him to extend the deadline date. Okay...I just...gotta focus, that's all.

How about a story about a dragon and a prince..and...and....oh fuck...I already did that one. Okay then...uh...how about a story about a story about a lonely space prince who meets an alien princess and they....did that one too.

I sighed as I rested my head on my dining table. I stared at the blank document on my laptop, seeing that there's no words being written on it, nothing, zero, zilch. As I stared at the blank page, I couldn't help but imagine how Freddy my editor was going to feel when I tell him I have nothing. I'm so going to get an earful from this.

I tapped my fingers against the surface of my table, trying really hard to come up with a concept for my next book. God, if I knew writing a book would be this hard, I would have taken that job as a mechanic like my dad wanted.

I sighed and looked at the time, it was getting close to nine. ".....I need a coffee," I said as I got up, placed my laptop, my notes, and my charger into my messenger bag, put on my favorite blue hoodie, grabbed my key and wallet, and finally headed out of the door.

I was heading to my favorite cafe that makes the best caramel macchiato in town, even if the cafe is a bit of a walk from where I live, it's worth it. I looked at my watch and saw that it was now nine forty the moment I reached the familiar cafe. I looked up at the sign, Tweek's Cafe as it's called. I believed it opened up two years ago, and I have read reviews saying that the cafe had the best coffee and delicious treats that were handmade. I believe it was probably five months since it opened up that I actually visited the cafe and tried out their stuff, the reason being was that it was raining hard and it was the only place that was still open and I could wait in while I waited for the rain stopped.

The moment I tried their caramel macchiato, I've been hooked. It had to be the best damn caramel macchiato I ever had, and that's saying something since I'm very picky when it comes to my beloved coffee flavor.

So since that fateful night I visited their shop and tried their coffee, I started visiting the place practically everyday, ordering the same drink along with one of their baked goods, I would sit at a table near the window, and enjoy my time there, usually doing some work while I'm there. I always get some inspiration for my work whenever I'm at the shop, usually when I'm people watching and stuff like that.

As I entered the shop, I noticed a few people looking up at me for a few seconds before returning to enjoying their coffee and the atmosphere of the place. I sighed in relief, glad no one knew who I was. Now, I'm not particularly a well-known or very popular author, I mean I still do book signing here and there, but they weren't that big. I didn't mind not being well-known since I hate seeking attention and I'm terrible at interacting with people, hell, I even made sure to not have my picture being shown in my book's biography section. Though I love writing fiction stories, I hate talking to people and interacting with anyone I don't know, so I'm glad no one knows who I am, which means I don't have the need to hide my face or anything like that.

As I was waiting in line, seeing how there's probably four people ahead of me, I started looking around, hoping to get some inspiration. Let's see...there's a man with a huge mustache.....there's a woman with bright blue hair and hoop earrings, there's a kid with a stripe shirt and has a spoon on his nose.

Hm...maybe I can write a book about an alien family that disguises themselves as humans while living in the old west, learning about human morals, understanding the love of the west, and getting a better understanding of what being human is like.

".....No..." I muttered to myself. I'm sure Freddy would tell me off saying that mixing sci-fi with old western is something completely stupid. I sighed and continued looking around at anything that would catch my eyes.

There were two girls with matching bags, red hair, and were squealing over the doughnut that looked like a panda with the white chocolate cream, chocolate chips, and Oreos. I thought maybe I could write a book about two android sisters who were separated by birth and go across the world to find each other, but then I remembered how Freddy was bashing at me for writing too many sci-fi books, something I like writing I might add, but there's no way of getting through my douchebag of an editor.

"Next!" I looked up and realized it was my turn. When I reached the counter, I was bet with a young man with blonde hair that seemed to be everywhere if he took off his sun visor cap. He had olive green eyes, pale skin, freckles decorating his face, and a nice looking smile.

I stared at him, he would be perfect as a god character. Maybe a sun god? Yeah, and he would bring sunshine and peace to the lands, as well as being the human's very own savior against the evil darkness! Yeah...maybe that could work!

.....Nah...that actually sounds too much like another book I read once...or was it a movie? I can't remember.

"Hi, can I get a-"

"Caramel macchiato, right?"

I was a bit taken back when the employee already knew what I was going to order, but then again, considering I do come here almost everyday and order the same drink all the time for the past two years now, it's understandable that all the employees here already knew my order.

"Uh, yeah, a-and a uh...croissant to go with that, please," I said.

"Coming up," the employee said before grabbing a croissant from the display case and headed over to the toaster oven to heat the croissant up. "You can take a seat while you wait for your order, sir," the employee said.

"Alright," I said, I paid for my order, stepped out of line so the customers behind me can place their order, then headed towards my favorite spot in the entire cafe. The table in the back of the cafe that's close to the window. I'm just glad no one has taken it yet.

For whatever reason, ever since I started coming here more often, this table always seemed opened, even on days when it was crowded. I was always afraid that this seat was taken for someone important, but I do remember one of the employees telling me that sitting here was fine and that I have nothing to worry about. It's weird...right? How this seat is always available whenever I come by, wonder why?

As I sat down, I immediately took out my laptop and my notes. I also brought out my charger, knowing full well the employees don't mind me using their power socket. I typed in the password for their Wi-Fi that was written on a small blackboard on the wall near the counter, and I opened up my still blank document page.

Shit.

The moment I laid eyes on the blank white space, it's a huge reminder that I have nothing. I sighed as I tapped my finger on the table, trying to come up with something, anything, hell, even something as small as...I don't know...a speck of dust going on an adventure in a...er...um...something. ...Ugh...this is the worst!

"Here's your caramel macchiato," I hear the employee who took my order earlier walking up with my cup of coffee as well as my croissant on a plate. He placed it down on my table and had a smile on his face. "If you want a refill, feel free to come up to the counter and ask. The first refill is free of charge."

"Thanks," I nodded as I take the cup, blew in it, and took a small sip. Ah...delicious as always.

Once I was finally left alone, I looked out of the window, watching people walking by the small cafe. There was a woman and a husband walking together looking happy, there was an old man walking slowly with a cane in his hand, there was a small dog running really fast even though its owner is trying to slow it down. So many possible story ideas, but I know they won't be good, at least not good enough for Freddy.

I sighed as I kept watching, trying to come up with something I haven't done yet, or at least something that sound like any of my other books. As I was thinking, I noticed a small girl chasing after a boy with a huge grin on her face, when suddenly, the girl fell down and scraped her knee. The girl started to cry, but then the boy from earlier turned around and ran towards her, he crouched down, patted the girl's head, the girl eventually stopped crying, and smiled as she hugged the boy. The two got up and started leaving together, forgetting the fact that the girl fell earlier.

I smiled as I watched the two kids leave together, it was kinda sweet what the boy did for the girl, even after the girl was attempting to chase after him. Suddenly, I thought of an idea. I turned around and stared at the blank document on my screen. Getting a wave of inspiration hitting me right in the face, I grabbed my reading glasses from my bag, put them on, and started typing away, taking a few occasional bites of my croissant or sip from my cup every now and then.

Once it was close to one, I saved up everything I have written so far and closed my laptop. I smiled to myself, glad that I finally came up with something, something I know Freddy will love. As I packed up my stuff and got ready to leave, I made sure to write down in my notes to try and finish up the story before this Saturday, knowing full well that this Saturday is my deadline. Once I finished packing up, I started heading towards the door when I hear one of the employees telling me goodbye.

"Goodbye, Mr. Tucker!" I turned my head and saw the same employee who served me earlier and delivered my order. He...knew me? I tried to think where I saw this person when I finally came to the conclusion that he probably was one of the many fans that came by to one of my book signings. Putting on a smile, I waved at the employee before leaving.

Alright...now that I got a good chunk of my story written...it's time to go to the pet shop and look at some guinea pigs. I started going left and headed towards the nearest pet shop. Oh how I wish my apartment allowed pets, I'd be so happy.

* * *

As my mother and father once told me when you own a coffee shop, you need to make sure to get the customers' attention, have the best prices for a cup of coffee, always be friendly towards the customers no matter how rude or misbehaved they are, and of course, always have a smile on your face.

To be honest, when I opened up Tweek's Cafe, I wasn't sure if I wanted to work in the coffee business, but after realizing that I could make this cafe my own, no influence from my family's coffee shop whatsoever, and the fact that I can do whatever I want since I'm the owner, I thought...why not? My parents however, weren't very supportive in the beginning. At first, they were delighted, wanting to merge our coffee shops and expanding, but I didn't want anything to do with their shop, especially since the coffee my parents make aren't really that great. They ended up getting pissed and cut all contact with me for almost a month.

It wasn't until my mom broke her arm that got us all back together again. My parents didn't have any insurance since again, their coffee sucked and they didn't have much business, so me wanting to connect with my parents again, I used the money I earned from work and helped pay for their hospital bills. It was awkward and tense, but after a few minutes, my parents apologized and they both gave me a hug.

Since then, my parents and I have been on good terms, they don't ask me to merge our shops together, but once in awhile, they would give me some business advice, whether they work or not. In return, I would send them some of my coffee recipes to help with their store and maybe get some customers coming in.

Things were good, they were great. Everything was fine.

"....Nnnnggg...where is he?" I muttered, looking at the clock. It was currently nine thirty-five and the person I'm waiting for will be arriving at around nine forty, however, I should be able to see him already.

I sighed and just busied myself with work, dealing with the regulars, the newcomers, and of course the rude customers that think they're more important than anyone else. I kinda made sure to not put that much effort in making the rude customers' drinks. As I continued working, I would turn my head to the clock above the only door that customers can come in and out of. Nine thirty-nine. One more minute to go, and I still don't see him.

Oh god, I hope he's not sick or anything! Oh wait...maybe there was an accident!? I should turn on the TV and check...no no no...don't be rash...I'm sure he's just late because of traffic...but then again...it doesn't look like he comes here by car...oh god! What if he got run over my a car!? Oh god! What if he died just from coming all the way here!? Oh sweet Jesus! It's all my fault that he's dead!

I suddenly here the door chime jingling, signaling me that a customer is either coming in or out. I turned my head and saw...him.

I sighed in relief, glad that he was okay. Me and my imagination. I watched as he gets in line and started looking around, I had to hold myself back from smiling like crazy. Whenever I see him, my customer service smile were always genuine.

By the time it was his turn, I already know what he was going to get. A caramel macchiato, he has been ordering that same drink for almost two years, and I'm sure he'll be ordering the drink again today. He'll also pick one of the treats that are on display, judging from how his eyes were looking at the croissants, I'm sure he'll be picking that one today.

"Hi, can I get a-"

"Caramel macchiato, right?"

He seemed surprised that I knew what he wanted, and I wanted to pinch myself for saying it so straightforward like that. Oh god, don't scare him, Tweek! He's totally going to think you're stalking him or something. However, since he probably knew he ordered the same drink over and over for the past two years, he assumed I knew his order automatically. Ah...the benefits of being a small local cafe that always has a bunch of regulars. He calmed down and nodded, then adding that he wanted to get the croissant. Knew it.

"Coming up," I smiled as I headed towards the display case and grabbed the croissant. I placed it in the toaster oven to heat it up a bit, and I tell him that he can sit down while he waits for his order. He nodded and headed towards his usual table.

I always feel guilty whenever I have to tell customers that that table isn't available for them and that it's being saved for someone else. No one has questioned me about it so far, especially him, but still, I can't help but feel guilty until he finally shows up and sits down in it.

While I was making his coffee, I made sure to make it exactly like how he wants it. Not too sweet, but not too bitter, has the right amount of caramel and sugar, and of course, isn't too hot or too cold. Okay sure, this is how I usually make the caramel macchiato anyways, but for him...I just want to make it perfect no matter what. Once it was done, I tell Maddy, the other employee who works here to tend to the orders while I go and deliver the drink and croissant to him. We don't technically do this and mainly just call the customer's name and have them pick it up themselves, but since I wanted to get close to him, I decided to always hand deliver his order. Besides, this is perfect practice for when we start serving breakfasts, lunches, and dinners here, something I've been planning to do since I opened up this place.

Once I handed him his order, I made sure to tell him his first refill is always free, and that he was welcome to tell either me or the staff if he wants a refill. He thanked me and I watched as he blew into his cup, took a small sip, and had a pleased look on his face. Success!

I left him be and returned to helping the newest customers that would come in, but every now and then, I would lift my head up, turned my head, and watch him. Watching how he looked out the window, a calm look on his face. He looked beautiful with the light shining on his through the window.

C. Tucker was his name, a writer. I have heard of him way before he started coming to the shop, but never really paid that much mind to him. My cafe does get the occasional celebrities, no matter how small or big they are, and I always reacted the same. I didn't give a crap.

To me, celebrities were just people that became famous because of their talents, their work, or their looks. I never really understood why people become so hyped whenever a celebrity is around, all I know is, whenever someone really popular comes in, it always ends up being crowded and a complete mess.

So that's why I didn't mind C. Tucker coming in, knowing he's not at all that popular or that well-known, hell, even if someone read one of his books, they probably don't know who C. Tucker was since there is no picture of him on any of his books' biography on the author. It's probably why C. Tucker doesn't even try to hide his face whenever he comes by, which means I have a better chance at seeing his...beautiful face.

Okay...I know I said I didn't care about celebrities, but Mr. Tucker was...different. I think it was about two years ago when I first saw Mr. Tucker. It was raining and many of the people that came in were simply there to wait for the rain to stop, Mr. Tucker being one of them. At first, I didn't know who Mr. Tucker was and just assumed he was a normal person. I only came to realize who he really was on the second day he visited.

It was still raining and it was raining really hard. I remember more and more people running into the cafe, completely drenched. I saw Mr. Tucker running in himself, his clothes were soaked, and his messenger bag was drenched.

Mr. Tucker took out something from his bag and had a looked distraught when he saw his papers were completely wet. He suddenly came up to me and asked if he could use the restroom, to which I agreed and gave him the keys to the restroom. After about a few minutes, Mr. Tucker came back, now dry, he probably used the hand dryer to dry himself. In his hands, his papers were also dry, but judging from the smeared ink on some of them, they were ruined.

Mr. Tucker looked disappointed as he stared at his papers, they must have been important. When he got back in line, I did my usual routine, ask him what he wanted to order and the like, while also giving him a sympathetic smile. He ordered his caramel macchiato and a plain doughnut, then headed towards the table that was close to the window. Still feeling sorry for the guy, I made his order and decided to hand deliver him his order since it seemed he was busy trying to rewrite his notes. I let him be and decided to clean the restrooms since five people has asked to use it because of the rain.

When I got inside the restroom, I noticed one piece of paper on the ground. I picked it up and I suddenly remembered the papers that Mr. Tucker had. I found out who he was when I saw the name written on the center of the paper. At first, the name sounded familiar, but I wasn't sure where. I left the restroom and handed the paper back to Mr. Tucker, to which he blushed and took the paper, trying his best to hide it, as if he didn't want someone to see it. When I saw him blushing in embarrassment, I couldn't help but think how cute he looked at that moment.

Later that night, I found out who he was when I searched up his name. C. Tucker, a writer who has had his work published in a small publishing company for almost five years now. Most of his work has been quite popular, especially among teens and young adults. They were highly praised and many readers were always saying how they looked forward to reading more of Mr. Tucker's work.

Feeling curious, I decided to purchase one of Mr. Tucker's books just to see how good they are. I didn't think they were that good, especially with how Mr. Tucker reacted when I handed him back his notes, but when the book finally arrived the next day, and I started reading it during my break, I....I was at lost for words. Each word, each sentence, each paragraph, I was...hooked. I loved every word that was written on here, I loved the story, the characters, and the world the book was set in. I kept reading and reading, even when my break was over, I just needed to know more. By the time I finished with the book, I was in love.

I ended up buying other books from this C. Tucker, and just like the first, I was in love. It feels like a part of the author was written in these books themselves, I thought I got a chance to see who the author was as I kept reading and reading. I would always smile as I read the small biography section in the beginning, chuckling by how short and straight to the point they were. His biography maybe small and doesn't really give me that much detail on who Mr. Tucker was, but when I read the actual story, I feel like I knew just who Mr. Tucker really was.

I became a fan.

So whenever I see Mr. Tucker coming to the cafe, I would feel happy to see him, I would put a lot of effort into his order, I would try to make sure he is relaxed and happy whenever he comes by, and I would watch him as he does his work.

I never talk to him of course, thinking he's too busy with work, especially when he got a phone call and he looked really stressed when he was talking to whoever was on the other line. Still....there have been times where I wish I could just sit down, have a cup of coffee with him, and just...talk to him, maybe even ask for one little autograph, but no matter how hard I try to talk to him, I always end up chickening out.

I noticed Mr. Tucker smiling when he had his eyes outside the window, he was smiling when a girl who fell earlier was being helped by a boy. He let out a small chuckle as the girl suddenly hugged the boy. I couldn't help but smile myself. Though I don't know who Mr. Tucker really is, I can honestly say that through his work and just watching him doing whatever it is he is doing when he comes here, I can tell that Mr. Tucker is a good man.

By the time it was one, I watched as Mr. Tucker packed his things and started leaving. I build up enough courage to tell him goodbye as he was about to head out the door. He seemed surprised, but gave me a small wave before finally leaving out the door.

I had the biggest grin on my face for the remainder of the day.

* * *

It was the end of the world. Humanity is dying, animals have become monsters, plants no longer grew aside from a couple of weeds, and homes were destroyed.

No one knew why the world ended, but they knew how. When a virus spread throughout the world, it was the end for humanity. No one could escape it, everyone started to die one by one. Those who haven't died from the virus now struggled to survive. With once calm animals now on the hunt for flesh to supplies becoming scarce each and everyday.

In the distance on a hill, there was a young girl, her clothes were dirty and her hands were blistered, but she didn't seem to care as she was busy staring at the two graves she finished digging up earlier. The little girl stared at the graves, her heart was full of sorrow.

The young girl was force to bury her own parents.

It was hard for the girl as she watched her parents dying slowly from the virus, it was hard when she had to shoot them in the head. Now it was heartbreaking when she had to bury her own kids once they were gone from the world.

The young girl placed a rose between the graves, she would have gotten two to place on both graves, but with plant life dying, she had no luck in finding another rose, let alone another flower. The girl clasped her hands and said a prayer to God to take care of her parents, hoping her parents will live a happy life, and that they were at peace. The girl shed some tears as she said her final goodbyes.

As the girl walked down the small hill, she stopped when she noticed a young boy wearing a forest green suit has his arrow pointed at her. The girl was shaking as she stared at the arrow then at the boy, who had his hood up and was hiding half of his face. The boy doesn't say anything, simply stood there, arrow raised up high, the girl looked at him for a few seconds before closing her eyes and waiting for her fate.

The boy seemed surprised, but made no move whatsoever. After about a minute or so, the arrow was shot, but it didn't hit the girl.

A pained wailing noise could be heard from behind the girl, the girl turned and saw that a rabid dog was hiding behind the tree where she stood near, it seemed the dog was waiting for the girl to have her back turn so it could jump up and attack the girl. Luckily for the girl, the boy happened to be close by and saw the girl and the dog.

The girl stood there, shocked and scared. Her eyes were full of tears as she fell to her knees and started to wail, already sick and tired of the world being so awful and cruel. The boy stood there, watching her, he lifted up his head and noticed the two handmade graves. Feeling sorry for the girl, the boy walked over towards her, he placed his hand on her head, gently stroke her.

The boy said, "I know it's hard, I know life is tough, but trust me, when you find the right people, when you continue to have hope, things will get better, so don't give up so easily like that, I'm sure your parents wouldn't want that."

The girl looked up at the boy before crying once more, this time hugging the boy and begging him to help her. The boy looked at the girl before crouching down and hugging her, telling her it'll be alright and that she wasn't alone anymore.

As long as there is hope, as long as there are people you can trust, and as long as you are willing to live, everything will be fine, that is what the young boy and girl learned as they continue to face the dangers ahead of them.

* * *

I sat in my editor's office for almost twenty minutes now, waiting for him to reviewing the final draft of my work. I sent him the draft the day before and now I'm just waiting for him to tell me what he thought about it.

To be honest, I always dreaded coming here, and considering a few weeks ago I asked for the deadline to be extended after I was having trouble with my next book, I knew that any wrong move and Freddy here will be mad as fuck.

Judging from how his face looked stern and how he would occasionally look up at me before continuing reviewing the draft, I knew today was going to be shit for me. Just this morning, I missed my bus and got to the office a couple minutes late, then this lady who I worked at the company kept staring at me weirdly and I was wondering if there was something on my face. I would go to the restroom and check, but since I was already late, I just wiped my face with the back of my hand and hope I got it. Now, I'm just sitting here, hoping, praying that Freddy likes the new story.

"....Kid...I don't like it," Freddy said. I clenched my seat feeling disappointed, "...I love it!" Freddy had the biggest grin on his face as he laughed and placed the draft down.

"Really?" I asked, feeling my heart flutter.

"Yep! I can tell this one will be one of your best, then again, all of your books are great," Freddy chuckled.

"Oh thank god," I sighed, feeling relieve. Maybe this day isn't going to be so bad after all.

"Now, while I get this refined, published, and all the works...let's discuss about your next book."

My smile falter. I spoke too soon. "N-next...book? What do you mean by that? I just finished writing this one!"

"Yeah well sales ain't doing so hot, kid, especially when you insist you take these month long breaks between your books," Freddy said.

"Dude, writing a book is really hard and I need these breaks in order to come up with new material! You can't expect me to come up with something immediately, especially after I finished writing one book!"

"I don't want to hear it, Craig. You know how fucking pissed I was when you called me to extend your deadline two weeks ago?"

I sighed, "yes..."

"You know I do not like to extend deadlines, Craig. You know how much work that is for my part?"

"I know," I sighed. Jesus, if he recorded how many times he said this, I bet he could easily just press a button and automatically play that same line over and over instead of having to tell me all the time.

"Well since you know, that means you are in no position to object," Freddy said.

I paled. Considering that writing my latest book was already a struggle, I'm pretty sure trying to come up with the next book will be even harder. "Freddy, I really can't write another book that fast, you gotta understand!"

"Yeah...I understand..."

"Really?"

"Yeah...I understand that you're a lazy writer who keeps using writer's block as an excuse!" Oh god. "Look here, if you don't come up with the next book at the end of this month, you might as well say goodbye to this job, no one is gonna publish your books and no one will be your editor. So either come up with something soon, or it's over for you."

Oh how much I wanted to flip him off, how much I wanted to tell him to fuck himself, and how much I wish I had a different editor, but with rent and having to take care of my bills, I really can't afford to get fired from this job.

I sighed and nodded. "I'll get to work on that next book so sales won't go down." God, I just only hope my writer's block isn't too bad.

"That's what I want to hear, now get out there and start writing us our next money maker," Freddy said.

I nodded and quickly packed my stuff and left his office. Once I closed the door, I turned around and stuck my middle finger at the door, glad that Freddy's door was a solid wooden one instead of those stained glass one. Once I was done flipping off the door, I turned around and started leaving.

"U-um...excuse me!"

I stopped and saw the woman who was staring at me this morning. "Yes?"

The woman fidgeted before taking out a book from her bag, it was one of my books. "I...I'm a huge fan of  _Princess Dragon_ , and I was w-wondering if...I could get your autograph?"

I was taken back, I mean sure I've signed for fans before, mostly for book conventions or book signings, but never once has someone come up to me asking for an autograph like this. I smiled at her before taking the book, flipping to the blank page inside, and started signing my name while also leaving a message, as well as a quote from the book itself.

"With love from thy heart, the dragon princess will live on," the woman read the quote out loud as she read the message I wrote for her, "thank you, C. Tucker!"

I smiled, "you can call me Craig since we're basically going to see each other again soon," I said.

The woman smiled. She looked around before leaning forward and whispering, "good luck on your next book, I'm sure you'll write something great, don't let that asshole push you around," the woman said.

I nodded and thanked her. I turned around and continued to leave the small publishing company I worked at. Once outside, I nearly had a panic attack as the stress of having to write a new book in only two weeks was just...fucking insane!

"Fuck!" I shouted, causing a few bystanders to flinch at my sudden outburst. I pulled on the flaps of my hat down, grinding my teeth. How the fuck am I suppose to come up with a story idea in only two weeks!?

Times like this, I really really hate my editor, but since I haven't found someone that would fit my schedule or at least is compatible with me when it comes to how the final product should be, I'm stuck with him until I can find a new editor.

I sighed, feeling a headache going on. I really don't have much choice right now do I? I straightened up and decided to walk the long way home. The long way had a park, meaning there will be plenty of interesting people to look and hopefully get some material, so hopefully I'll be able to come up with something before the end of the month.

* * *

I tapped my fingers, not really doing much. It was nine o' clock and today was a slow day. Barely any customers coming in today, which means I as well as the other employees are free to take a little break until a customer showed up.

While we were waiting, I couldn't help but wonder about Mr. Tucker. I hope he comes today, I really feel like that this time might be my chance to finally talk to him and ask for his autograph...hopefully. I suddenly started wondering what his latest book is going to be about, already looking forward to buying it once it's officially out. I've been checking the publishing company's official Twitter and saw that Mr. Tucker's latest book will be coming in five days. Oh I can't wait to read it!

As I was standing there, doing nothing but writing up some food ideas that I want to serve for when I finally start serving meals instead of just coffee and baked goods, I hear the door opening and I turned around to give my usual greeting.

I froze when I saw that it was Mr. Tucker. "M-Mr. Tucker!?" I exclaimed, causing a few of my employees to turn and stare at me. I blushed and lowered my voice, "I mean...Mr. Tucker, what brings you here so early?" I asked, putting on a smile.

"...." Mr. Tucker doesn't respond. Actually...he looked...different today. Is it just me or does it look like he has bags under his eyes...and another thing...he seemed...thinner than usual. What happened to him?

"M-Mr. Tucker?" I called when he doesn't respond for the first time.

"H-huh?" Mr. Tucker shook his head and then looked around, he looked surprised to find himself here, but he simply rubbed his eyes before walking over towards he counter. "Um....hey...could I get a-"

"Caramel macchiato, right?" I smiled and was about to make it, but what he said next surprised me.

"Actually...could I just get a black coffee?"

I stopped in my tracked. What did he just say? "I-I'm sorry...but could you...repeat that?" I asked.

"Uh...black coffee...please," Mr. Tucker let out a yawn and looked at me with a hazy look. Jesus, has he been sleeping at all?

"Um...sure....do you want anything else?" I thought he was going to order one of our baked goods like he normally does when he gets a drink, but he shook his head.

"No...just a black...coffee." I was surprised, but decided to not make a comment on it, I have met customers that do decide to change it up with their order once and awhile, I just never thought Mr. Tucker would be one of those people considering how much Mr. Tucker enjoyed his daily routine. Just as I was about to grab one of our porcelain cups, Mr. Tucker spoke again, "oh uh...could I actually have that to go?"

I nearly dropped the cup, "y-you're not going to be having it here?" I asked.

Mr. Tucker shook his head, "no...is...is that a problem?"

"N-no...it's just...you normally drink your coffee here and...." I trailed off as I noticed how Mr. Tucker really did look different today, the tired look in his eyes, the way he kept going in and out of consciousness, and how it looked like he was really struggling to stay awake. Just what on earth happened to Mr. Tucker?

"Tweek, what's the big deal? He just wants to get his coffee to go," one of my teen employees, Amanda was her name, commented when she noticed how strange I was acting.

I flinched and realized that all my employees were looking at me funny. Crap, I really don't want to embarrass myself, especially in front of teenagers who could easily start saying shit about me on their social media accounts!

"It's not a big deal, I'm just curious since...you seem to be out of it as usual dear customer," I know my employees know that Mr. Tucker is a regular, but like any other employee in any business, employees tend to not give a damn who is a regular and who's new, they only care about is getting their job done, getting paid, then going home before having to repeat the process over the next day.

"Uh...yeah just...really busy...and stuff," oh god, it looked like he was really struggling with saying those words! "So uh...can I get my order or what?"

I flinched at the way he was getting annoyed and quickly got to work on the coffee. Once it was done, I poured the coffee into a to go cup and handed the drink to him. Mr. Tucker thanked me before handing me a twenty, which is way too much for a simple one dollar and forty-five cent cup of black coffee!

"Sir, do you want your ch-" before I could say a thing, I watched as Mr. Tucker turned around already and left the cafe without saying another word.

I was worried as hell.

"Jesus, what was up with that guy?" One of my employees asked.

"I know, he looked like a zombie when he came in here."

"Poor guy, I hope he'll be alright, he was stumbling a lot when he came in and when he was leaving." S-stumbling?

"Oh man, just imagine if he was crossing the street, hopefully he's well enough to not get hit by a car or something!" H-hit by a car!?

"Oh god, imagine if he's walking down the street and some mugger decides to take his stuff while he's distracted like that, I'm sure a guy like him is an easy target." M-mugged!?

"Or worse, if someone killed him! I'm sure he isn't up for a fight or anything!"

I nearly fainted. Getting hit by a car? Mugged!? Murdered!? I feel sick! I can feel my eye twitching as I thought of every terrible scenario that could happen to Mr. Tucker as he's walking around looking tired and not aware of his surroundings! Oh Jesus!

"Uh...Mr. Tweak? Are you okay?"

I was breathing rapidly as I felt my eye twitching so much. Oh god, I...I....I can't let him go like this! What if something happened to him!? Screw keeping my fan boy behavior a secret! I gotta make sure Mr. Tucker doesn't die!

"I'm going out for a bit! You guys take care of the store for me!" I exclaimed as I hopped over the counter and started running towards the direction that Mr. Tucker went.

As I ran around, getting worried and worried with each minute, I soon spotted him going to the park. I gasped when I saw how close he almost tripped! He could have fallen and cracked his head against the sidewalk! Oh god! I ran quickly after him, pushing past pedestrians that were walking and avoiding getting hit by cars. Once I made it to the park, I looked around desperately trying to find him. When I finally spotted him near the fountain, I paled when I saw how close he was and how he kept wobbling with each step.

He was going to fall into the fountain! He might crack his head if he falls! Oh god!

"M-Mr. Tucker!" I screamed as I ran full speed and tried to grab him before he fell. However, before I could reach him, I accidentally tripped on a crack and fell forward. Shit.

"Huh?" Instead of saving Mr. Tucker from falling into the fountain, I ended up causing both of us to fall into the fountain. Mr. Tucker started sputtering water out of his mouth, completely shocked at what just happened. "Dude, what the fuck!?"

Oh god! What have I done!?

"I'm sorry!" I exclaimed, panicking, "I just...you were...I mean! Gah!" I was pulling at my wet hair and trying to come up with an excuse. Mr. Tucker stared at me before sighing, oh no! I made him upset! My chances of getting to talk to him are over! Oh god!

"Dude, just calm down and just tell me why you ran into me like that," Mr. Tucker said.

I stared at him, feeling my cheeks getting warm from embarrassment. I just gotta stay calm and say what I needed to say. "...Y-you didn't look right earlier so I just...I was worried about you, a-and...and...I ran all the way here just to make sure you don't get hurt!" I exclaimed, feeling my cheeks getting really warm now.

"....Tch...seriously?" Mr. Tucker chuckled before looking at the apron I was still wearing. "You work for that cafe, don't you?"

I nodded, "y-yes, I'm actually the owner," I said shyly.

"Well then, do you normally do this for your customers who seemed off to you?" Mr. Tucker asked.

I blushed, "n-not often...but you just...seemed really tired and you were staggering everywhere, so I got worried," I said.

Mr. Tucker stared at me before sighing, "why don't we get out of this fountain before we get sick from the dirty water, hm?"

I nodded and quickly got up, helping Mr. Tucker. Once we were out of the fountain, we tried our best to dry our clothes by squeezing all the water out, but we were still pretty wet, so instead, we decided to head back to the cafe, knowing we can dry our clothes there.

When we got back to the cafe, my employees were surprised to see me and Mr. Tucker completely wet and were asking us what happened, I assured them nothing too bad happened and to just get back to work while I help Mr. Tucker dry his clothes. We headed to the male restrooms and used the hand dry to dry our shirts. One of my employees even handed us her portable hairdryer for us to use.

"I-I'm really sorry again, Mr. Tucker," I said as I tried my best to dry his shirt.

"It's fine, really. You were just worried and it was all an accident. I won't press charges if that's what you're worried about," Mr. Tucker said.

I clutched his shirt tightly in my hands as I looked at him, "s-still, this shirt must have cost you a lot or something!"

"...Pfff," Mr. Tucker chuckled, "relax, it's just cotton, it's not like it made from the finest silk in the world, I got plenty of shirts like that, so it doesn't matter if that one gets ruined," Mr. Tucker said. As Mr. Tucker used the hairdryer to dry his shoes and socks, he suddenly brought out his bag and sighed when he saw all of his notebook was ruined.

"Oh god! I ruined your notes! You probably wrote something important in there! I'm so sorry!" I was about to hyperventilate at this point.

"Dude, relax!" Mr. Tucker grabbed my shoulders and tried to calm me down. When I noticed how close we were and how close his bare chest was to mine, I blushed and made sure to keep my eyes on his face and nothing lower. "All that's in my notebook are old notes that I don't use anymore, so you're fine. Other than that, it's pretty much blank," Mr. Tucker sighed as he stared at the wet notebook before deciding to throw it in the trash bin.

"W-wait!" I take the notebook out of the trash bin and put it under the hand dryer. "Y-you shouldn't be throwing this away, even if all the notes are old. You might need it when you start writing your new notes, right?"

"...." Mr. Tucker sighed, "if I can come up with something," Mr. Tucker said.

"W-what do you mean by that?" I asked.

Mr. Tucker looked at me before leaning against the sink, "I'm just...having a couple of problems with my next book, that's all."

I looked at him, feeling bad, but I put on a smile on my face and tried to cheer him up, "oh come on, you're C. Tucker! I'm sure you'll come up with something eventually," I said.

"Tch," Mr. Tucker clicked his tongue in annoyance, "yeah, but coming up with something before the end of the month? Yeah, that ain't happening."

"E-end of the month!?" That's only ten days from now!

"Yep," Mr. Tucker sighed before scratching his head, "ugh...if I don't come up with my next book soon, I might as well be out of a job. Oh well...I guess I can always work as a mechanic like my dad always wanted," Mr. Tucker said.

"No!" I exclaimed, surprising him. "I-I mean...y-you shouldn't give up so easily! A lot of your fans will be sad if you suddenly stopped writing," I said. I know I would.

"No one will care if I'm gone or not, I'm not even that popular. I'm no Stephen King or James Patterson, hell...I'm not even a J. K. Rowling. Trust me, no one will notice if I stopped being an author," Mr. Tucker said.

I stared at him, I started getting....angry. How could he say that!? "Y-you're wrong!" I exclaimed, frowning.

"What?"

"You're wrong! People will care! So what if you're not that well-known, I and many others enjoy reading your work! We love the stories you've written. It may not be as significant to you, but it is to us! We're you're fan, Mr. Tucker! You may not be the next Stephen King or whatever, but you're C. Tucker! That's something!" I can feel my heart pounding as I finished what I needed to say, all I can hope now is that Mr. Tucker got it through his head.

"....Wow...you must be the biggest fan boy I have ever met, and I remember being stalked by this one guy four years ago, had to actually get a restraining order and move places when it became too much," Mr. Tucker sighed.

I faltered a bit, closing my eyes in embarrassment. Oh god, he probably thinks I'm weird now. God damn it, Tweek! "I-I'm sorry, I went too far, didn't I? I-I'll just dry these off really quick and let you be," I said.

"....So...what you gonna do to change my mind?"

"...Huh?"

"Well if you want me to keep being a writer, then what are you gonna do to convince me?" Mr. Tucker stared at me, tilting his head slightly. I stared at him, feeling my heart pounding. Oh god, I hope he isn't thinking of anything...dirty! "Oh and please don't think I meant anything sexual or anything like that," Mr. Tucker made a face when he said that, looking uncomfortable having to mention that.

I sighed in relief and looked at him before I bit my lip. Is he serious right now? Oh god, that's way too much pressure, but if it meant saving the fan base and hope that he'll keep writing, I guess it's all up to me!

"...M-matcha cakes!" I blurted out.

"....What?" Mr. Tucker stared at me, confused.

"Matcha cakes! I uh...I read a recipe online awhile ago and I really want to make them and serve them here in the cafe. I've already perfected my own recipe, so I was planning on introducing them to the cafe in a few days, s-so...if you manage to come up with a new book, t-then the next time you come to my cafe, I'll give you the first matcha cake for free," I said.

"...Seriously? You're going to bribe me with cake?" Mr. Tucker chuckled.

"Well you always seemed to enjoy all the baked goods we have here, so...yeah," I smiled.

"...Touche," Mr. Tucker stopped leaning against the sink and raised his hand, "fine, we got a deal, but I expect that matcha cake to be good," Mr. Tucker said.

"They will, but you can only have them if you do manage to make that book," I said.

"Alright, deal," Mr. Tucker smiled.

We shook on it and continued drying our clothes. When we finished drying our clothes the best as we can, of course we didn't dry our pants since that would be too awkward, we got dressed and both I and Mr. Tucker left the restroom. I sighed in relief to see that the cafe was still empty, aside from a couple of customers here and there.

"Well, Mr. Tucker, I do hope to see your next book very soon," I smiled.

"Sure thing, and I do hope to get a taste of that matcha cake, Mr. Tweak," Mr. Tucker smiled.

Biting my lip, I knew I wanted him to call me by my first name, "y-you can call me Tweek," I said in a quiet voice, loud enough for only him to hear.

"....Then please call me Craig." My heart skipped a beat.

Remembering the notebook is still in my hands, I lifted up the book and tried to give it back to him. "Here."

"....Keep it," Craig sighed.

"Huh? R-really?"

"Yeah, it's ruined anyways, if I try writing in that, I'm sure it'll fall apart immediately. So keep it...or throw it away. Do whatever to it," Craig said.

Like hell I would do that! "I-I'll keep it...o-only if you change your mind and want it b-back," I blushed.

"...Pfff," Craig covered his mouth to prevent himself from laughing. "Gotta say, you have to be the biggest fan of mine in a long time, it's almost refreshing." I smiled and started to blushing slight, oh god, I hope he doesn't noticed how much I'm blushing because of him! "...Actually...could you give me that for a second?"

Confused, I gave him back the notebook. I watched as Craig took out a pen from his bag and started writing something on the cover. Once he was done, he handed back the notebook. When I looked at it, my eyes widened when I saw his signature. I got an a-autograph!

"See you tomorrow, Tweek," Craig smiled before turning around and started leaving.

My hands were shaking as I stared at the notebook, but I suddenly remembered something, "d-don't forget to get some sleep later! Being sleep deprived is very unhealthy you know!" I called out.

Craig looked at me before smiling, "got it," he then left.

Once he was gone and I just stood where I was, clutching the notebook against my chest, I had the biggest grin on my face as I felt like screaming, but instead, I let out a short squeal as I hugged the notebook tightly. I was practically raising my fists in victory.

I talked to him! I actually talked to him! He doesn't think I'm a weirdo...maybe....hopefully! Oh whatever! I talked to him!

"Ahem." I froze and turned around to see all my employees staring at me, smug smiles on their faces.

I blushed and cleared my throat before putting on my serious boss face, "get back to work everyone," I said. They all left and got back to work, not before a few of them rolled their eyes at me.

Once that was cleared up, I turned to look at the notebook, reading the familiar quote in one of my favorite books.

"To the eyes of the lonely astronaut as he stared at the beautiful princess, he knew there was hope for him to find a new home. There was always hope."

I smiled.

* * *

His tears fell into the ocean as he looked down at the deep blue abyss below him. Part of him wanted to jump and sink to the bottom, never to return to the surface, but another part of him was terrified of what might happen.

No, it wasn't that he was afraid of death, far from it actually, what he feared more was seeing the pity looks of people if they happened to find his body, whether he was still alive or dead. The pity looks were something the young man feared the most. The pity looks were something he hated.

Those pity looks followed him as his mother died, they followed him even as his father died, they even still follow him when the abuse of his stepmother started. Poor boy is what people were thinking. I'm just glad I'm not like him, was something the boy also knew they were thinking.

No one cared about the boy's predicament, no one stepped forward to save him. No one cared for the boy entirely.

They would just watch and watch as the boy's life becomes hell, they would watch and watch, even when he's laying on the cold and dirty ground, clutching his stomach, but never bothering to intervene until the stepmother has walked away to continue her drinking habits. No one would do anything for the boy, they simply watch, then pretend to care just so they would look good, but to the boy, he believed everyone was just as bad as his stepmother.

The boy knew that if he jumped right now, the chances of anyone finding him and saving him would be awhile, but then again, the boy has been missing for almost three hours now, a search party would have already been formed and are looking for him, not that the people actually care if they find him or not.

The boy needed to make his decision now. Jump and hope no one will find his lifeless body, or stay on the cliff, and wait for someone to find him and take him back to that awful woman who made his life a living hell.

The boy clasped his hands and started to pray, asking God for forgiveness for what he was about to do. Though the boy was never religious growing up, and still wasn't after he suffered for many years, he knew his mother was, along with his father, just a little. So when the boy was asking for forgiveness from the lord, he was actually asking for forgiveness from his parents, who were probably watching their poor child going through such torment.

Just then, the boy hear barking of dogs in the distance, as well as yells and whistles. The people from his village was coming in close, they will soon find him if he doesn't make his decision now.

Taking a deep breath, he looked at the ocean, seeing the sharp rocks down below, he then looked back at the forest, seeing flashlights in the distances and the barking and yells getting closer and closer. The boy's heart was pounding, his hands were sweaty, his lips were dry and cracked, traces of blood could be seen on them. The boy turned his attention back to the ocean before taking a step closer.

The boy jumped.

He managed to avoid the rocks and only splashed into the open waters, he sunk down, his shoes dragging him, he was holding his breath as he looked up. His ears started to hurt and he could hear a slight ringing, but he didn't care. Heart still pounding, he let go of his breath, allowing the salty water to enter his lungs. The boy kept sinking and sinking, the air leaving his body as he struggles to breath. His vision darkening as he looked up, seeing a bright light through the dark waters.

Before he passed out, he suddenly see a pair of eyes staring at him. All the boy could think was wishing for whoever found him to leave him be, let him die, let him disappear from this cruel world. He nearly cried as he felt a pair of hands grabbing his arms and pulling him.

The person who saved him placed him on the sandy beach once they made it out of the waters, the boy started to gasp for air as he coughed and let the water out of his lungs. He panted and gasped for air desperately before laying on the sandy, staring up at the blue sky. He felt tears forming in the corner of his eyes.

He was still here, he was still alive.

The boy started to shake, crying harder, not caring if the person who saved him is seeing him, not that the person will care anyways, it was probably someone from the village. Every time the boy tries to kill himself, but was stopped or saved from a person from the village, he would cry out in pain, wishing to be comforted in hopes that the reason he's being saved was because someone actually cared, but no one comforted him, not even those who saved him. They only did it to make themselves look like a saint to the others.

As the boy cried and cried, thinking his savior will not comfort him, he was surprised when he felt a hand over his, then feeling the face of the person as the person has moved his hand so he'd be touching their face.

The boy slowly turned his head and was surprised to see the person who saved him. They weren't from his village, in fact, the boy didn't know who they were. All he knew was that, his savior appeared male, and that he wasn't human.

The boy's savior was a siren.

The siren closed his eyes, humming a song that the boy doesn't recognize, but it caused the boy to feel at ease. The siren would then open their eyes and stared at the boy before saying something, a language that the boy didn't understand.

The boy tried to explain to the siren that he didn't understand, but the siren simply stared at him. The boy sighed, not sure why he thought trying to explain to the siren would be of any help. If the boy couldn't understand him, then he was sure the siren couldn't understand English himself.

Before the two could do anything, they hear voices in the distance, it was the search party. The siren let out a hiss before crawling back towards the ocean, leaving the boy behind. The boy's heart was pounding as the voices get louder and louder.

He didn't want to go back.

"Please! Take me with you!" The boy cried out, causing the siren to turn and look back at him. "Don't leave me with them! If you leave me with them...I'll just try to kill myself again! So please! Please! Take me with you!" The boy begged and begged, tears falling from his eyes and landing on the sandy beach.

"....I...take...you can never...return," the siren said in broken English.

The boy looked at him, feeling his heart pounding. Never return? He'll never come back to the home his parents use to live, he'll never come back to the home he grew up in, he'll never be able to see his school, his house, his toys, his books, his room, or even the graves of his parents.

The boy will never come back, but he'll be escaping from the torment he suffered each and everyday.

"....Take me with you," the boy demanded.

"...." The siren looked at him, then turned his head when the voices and dog barks got louder and louder. The siren quickly got out of the water, but not completely, he extended his arm and offered his scaly hands to the boy. "Deal."

The boy stared at the hand before quickly grabbing it, the siren then pulled the boy into the water, and the two started swimming away just before the search party finally reached the sandy beach.

As the two started swimming away from the beach, away from the people, and away from the boy's village, the boy was having a hard time breathing under the water. The siren noticed this and suddenly stopped swimming so he could look at the boy. Before the boy could comprehend what was happening, the siren leaned forward to kiss the boy on the lips. The siren blew into the boy's mouth, and before the boy knew it, he could breathe underwater.

The siren pulled away, staring at the boy who stared at him, his heart was pounding. "You...belong to me...forever."

"....." The boy doesn't do or say anything, he simply let the siren take his hand and continue to take him away from his home. The boy knew his life would change forever, but as he stared at the siren, touched his lips that still tingled when the siren kissed him, all he could do was hold onto the siren tightly, wondering where they will go and how long it'll be until they reach it.

There were many sailor tales about sirens, though most of which aren't exactly the same to each other, where some would say that only females are sirens, or that sirens were more fish like than human like, there is one thing that all these tales have in common. It was said that if you hear a siren's song, it lures you towards them, it was said that once you are driven by their song, you can't get out of the spell the sirens put you in. Once you come closer into the waters and stand before a siren, they will do one of two things. They either drown you and keep you as their hunting trophy, or eat your, feasting on your flesh and organs.

For the boy, none of that happened. The siren went out of his way to save the boy, they even almost left the boy alone before the boy begged for him to take him. So either these sailor stories were untrue about sirens, or this siren was different. 

Either way, the boy didn't care what will happen to him or where he'll end up, he was glad he got away from the abuse, the pain, and suffering. So no matter what happens, he belonged to the siren, and he was fine with that.

* * *

I sighed as I stared at what I've written so far. I was still unsure if this story will be good enough for Freddy, but hey, at least I managed to write something down. After that whole incident with that cafe owner guy, Tweek I believe he said his name was, I suddenly got an idea, mostly from when Tweek ran into me and we both fell into the fountain.

It was like a spark of inspiration came into my head and I was itching to write, but like I said, I wasn't sure if this story was something Freddy will approve of. Surprisingly enough, this was my first time writing a book about two gay characters, not that I have anything against books like those, hell, I love reading books with gay characters, especially considering I'm gay myself, but I just never found myself writing one since I wasn't sure if Freddy would like that.

Still, reading what I got so far, I kinda feel proud of myself, actually liking this one a bit more. I haven't felt this happy with my work since I wrote  _Dragon Princess_ and  _The Lonely Astronaut_. That doesn't mean I don't like my other work, I just like those two and this one a bit more, but will Freddy like this one?

"...Fuck it," I sighed as I saved what I've written so far, took my reading glasses off, and stretched out my arms. If Freddy doesn't like the idea of two guys being a thing, then I can easily change one of the character's gender just to please him, even if I'll feel a bit sad to do that.

Once I turned off my laptop, I then walked towards my kitchen and made myself a cup of coffee. My coffee isn't really too bad, and it does help keep me awake, but it's nothing compared to the coffee at Tweek's cafe.

"....Matcha cakes...of all the silly things I've heard from fans," I chuckled to myself as I shook my head and then took a sip of my coffee. "Still...never met anyone who would go that far just so they could read my books. That Tweek guy must really be a big fan of mine.

I sighed and decided to grab my new notebook I bought earlier. I decided to write down what I can write for the next part of this new book idea I have. I was thinking that maybe the name reveal of the boy could be next, as well as the sirens. Should I have the characters age up, or should I have them stay the same for one chapter and then slowly age them up throughout the chapters to give the readers a look of how their relationship develops. Should I have a happy or tragic ending? Maybe an open endings? Just so readers can be more engaged and try to see how the story could have ended in their own interpretation?

So many possible ways of writing this, and yet so little time I have. I think I should stay up all night just so I can finish maybe the first two chapters.

_"d-don't forget to get some sleep later! Being sleep deprived is very unhealthy you know!"_

"......" I look up at the clock and it read that it was almost midnight. I let out a yawn and rubbed my eyes, feeling really tired, especially considering I haven't slept in two days now. "....Alright, I'm only going to take a nap for twenty minutes before getting back to work," I said to myself.

I headed over towards my couch and laid down, I grabbed the blanket that was hanging over the edge and covered myself with it. I let out another yawn as I rested my head on the arm rest.

I'm only doing this since I'm very tired and I should take a nap, not because that cafe owner told me so.

".....Tch...he's weird," I muttered, but I had a small smile on my face before I finally drifted off to sleep.

When I woke up, I realized that it was already six in the morning, I've been asleep for six hours. Shit. I quickly got up and went straight back to work, cursing at myself the entire time I typed up the rest of the story.

* * *

Today was a slow day, meaning not many customers were showing up, and though most owners would complain that they aren't getting that many customers, I was actually fine with that since it gives my employees a break before the lunch hour began. I also enjoyed slow days because I get to catch up on my reading, specifically, finish reading the books from Craig that I haven't finished or haven't started yet. Currently, I'm reading  _The Lonely Astronaut_ , one of my favorites so far. Though I've read this already, I love reading Craig's book more than once.

As I continued reading, I didn't notice the door opening until I hear someone clearing their throat. When I look up, I nearly shit myself when I realized it was Craig.

"Wow, even when you're working you're reading one of my books," Craig smiled.

I blushed, "i-it's a really good story," I said, putting the book away, "you're here early," I said when I noticed that it was nine o' clock."

"Pff, you even know exactly when I get here?" Craig raised an eyebrow.

I blushed and looked down, "w-well when you get a bunch of regulars that order the same thing as you do, you can't help but noticed a pattern with a few of them."

"Sure, that's the reason," Craig rolled his eyes.

"It is!" I exclaimed.

"Whatever man," Craig said, "since I'm here, you probably know what I want."

I smiled, "one caramel macchiato, right?"

"Bingo," Craig smiled.

I chuckled, "anything else you want?"

Craig looked down before he grabbed something from his bag, I was surprised when he placed a stack of papers on the counter. When I leaned over to read the first page, I felt like squealing when I saw a title for a book as well as Craig's name on the first page in bold letters.

"You wrote it?" I couldn't help the excitement from my voice.

Craig chuckled, "I finished it. Sent a digital copy to my editor and just waiting to hear from him to see if I need to change anything."

I nodded and looked at the pile, feeling very curious. I would love to read it, but I'm sure I'm not allowed to since this isn't really the finished draft of the book and all. Still, I wonder what this new book,  _The Siren's Song_ , is like. Seemed interesting.

"Well?" Craig suddenly asked.

"W-well what?"

"Duh, the deal we had? If I managed to write the book, I get to be the first to try out the matcha cake you promised, remember?"

I looked at him before smiling, "I'll get to making it right now, why don't you sit down and I'll start you off with your coffee," I said.

"Sounds good," Craig smiled before paying me for the coffee and not the matcha cake. Craig turned and was about to head to the table, but stop midway, "...hey...could I ask you something?"

"Yeah?"

"...Are you the reason why this specific table in the back and near the window is always available and open for me?"

I blushed and avoided eye contact, "Um...I won't confirm...but I also won't deny. I have the right to remain silent here," I said.

Craig stared at me before laughing, "pff, alright then, whatever you say, fan boy," Craig then headed towards the table, his table.

I was probably blushing madly before I finally got to work on the drink. Once I delivered the drink to Craig, right after he commented on how he noticed he always get his delivered, to which I didn't say anything and simply blushed in embarrassment, I then got to making the matcha cake. I've already tried three recipes at home, and so far, the third one seemed to taste the best, so I wrote down the third recipe and making sure to follow it exactly. 

I wanted this cake to be perfect for Craig.

After finishing baking the cake and letting it cool for a bit, I then started slicing a piece, knowing that Craig probably doesn't want a full cake. I told one of my employees, James, to cut the rest of the cake and place them in the display case. I then take the slice I cut and headed out to give them to Craig.

"Here you go," I smiled.

Craig looked at the cake, smiling, "thanks, it looks great," Craig said as he picked up his fork and stabbed into the cake, he takes a bite of the cake and I watched him, waiting to see the results. "Oh wow, this is...really good," Craig said.

I sighed in relief, "thank god, I was worried you were going to hate it or something," I said.

"Why would I hate it? All the cookies and cakes you make here are delicious, why do you think I try each of them everyday day?" Craig said before taking another bite of the cake. I smiled and felt a bit proud of my bakery skills. I really should thank my mom for teaching me to bake later.

As I was about to leave, Craig suddenly stopped me, "hey, where you going? Don't you want to talk a bit?"

I stopped, "y-you want to t-talk to me?" I squeaked.

"Sure, you seem like an okay guy, even if you're a bit of a fan boy," Craig smiled.

I blushed and looked around. It still will be hours before the lunch hour and we don't really have that many customers. "A-alright," I sat down across from him, feeling my heart thumping in my chest. Once I sat down, Craig takes a sip of his caramel macchiato, and since I'm finally able to talk to him, I just have to ask. "Why do you always order the caramel macchiato?" I asked.

Craig looked up before thinking, "not sure. I just remember that when I first started drinking coffee, the caramel macchiato was my first choice. Since I'm not that big of a coffee expert, I just ended up ordering the same thing since I didn't really care, but I gotta say, your caramel macchiato has to be the best by far."

I smiled, feeling very happy that Craig enjoyed my caramel macchiato the most. Oh it's every fan's dream really. "Hey...is it okay if I ask you a bunch of questions, I-I promise that they won't be too personal or anything," I said, blushing.

Craig looked at me before shrugging, "ask away, I don't mind," Craig said.

I smiled and started asking him questions I've always wanted to ask him, but whenever I went to his book signings or Q&As, I never got the chance because of timing or because I was never given a chance before Craig and his publishing team has to pack everything up and leave.

"What was the inspiration for  _Dragon Princess_?

Craig smiled, "to be honest, it was probably when I was a teenager and was playing this Mario parody game where you play as some kind of plumber, but instead of a princess, you were trying save this dragon girl or something. The point of the game was that it was unfair and what you thought was what you should be doing ended up being the opposite of what you should be doing. Basically the game is hard as fuck and causes a bit of rage from you," Craig said.

I chuckled, "so you wrote the book because of a parody game of Mario?"

"Sorta, I got the inspiration from it, but when I actually got to writing the book, I would use other fairytale princes and princess as inspiration," Craig said.

"So basically...a fairytale story with a twist," I said.

"Yep," Craig takes another sip of his drink.

"Okay, next question. What was the inspiration for  _The Lonely Astronaut_?"

"....." Craig looked down, his smile faltering a bit, "a bit of a personal experience to be honest," Craig said.

I looked at him, feeling weird in the pit of my stomach, "personal experience?"

Craig sighed, "it was probably when I was in college and I was going through this break up. I've dated the guy since I got into college and we were close...but then...we weren't. He ended up calling me, telling me it wasn't working out...and then left...he wouldn't answer my calls, texts, he even won't talk to me on Facebook and the like. All I wanted to know was...what did I do wrong? Every time I think about it or him...I just keep wondering, what did I do...and what I could have done to change that. I still never got the answer...and it felt like my world turned into an empty abyss. I was alone, even when I'm surrounded by friends and family who supported me, I felt like the loneliest person in the world. It wasn't until I started writing out these feelings in a poem I use to write before I started putting those feelings into my book."

I stared at him, feeling...angry at the guy who dared break up with Craig without a reason! I mean, who does that!? At least give someone the reason why you broke up with them. "W-what a dick!" I exclaimed, slamming the table.

Craig flinched and was surprised by my sudden outburst. "It's fine, really, this happened a long time ago, I'm over it," Craig said.

"I-it's not fine! What kind of asshole would just...just...break up with someone without a real reason! Hell, even a selfish and dumb reason is enough of a reason than being silent!"

"Oh I know what you mean," one of my employees, Chase, said. "I read that it's more of a dick move to break up with someone without a reason than breaking up with someone with a stupid reason. So yeah, that ex-boyfriend of yours is a total dick."

"Yep!"

"Little bitch."

"Probably had a small dick and shit."

"I hope the next person he dates is the one who breaks up with him!"

"I hope that asshole gets his ass kicked!"

"Uh...guys...really, you all don't have to say all of this, I'm over it," Craig sighed, but I noticed a small smile on his face.

"Still...it was selfish of him to leave you without a reason. If I were your boyfriend, I would never break up with you, at least not without a good reason. You seem like a nice and honest person, and anyone would be lucky to have you as a boyfriend," I said. My eyes widened and I blushed when I realized what I just said. Oh god!

I looked at Craig who stared at me. I can feel my employees staring at me, and I even hear Amanda gaping at me, saying, "oh my god, boss."

"I-I mean! N-not that I want to be your boyfriend! W-wait no, I mean I wouldn't mind, n-no wait, I just...uh...uh....y-you know what I mean, right?"

"...Pfff," Craig started laughing out loud, he then turned to smile at me, "don't worry, I get what you mean. Just relax."

I sighed, but my cheeks were still warm. I really need to pay attention to what I say. "So you're really over him?"

Craig shrugged, "once in awhile, I'll think about him, maybe even look at his profile on social media to see how he's doing, but other than that, I really don't care. After I wrote  _The Lonely Astronaut_ and put my own feelings and experience into it, getting lots of love from people and praises, I just....gotten over it. I was no longer in that state of mind when I was still in college. So I'm fine, really," Craig smiled. I sighed in relief, glad to hear that.

For the remainder of the day, I would ask Craig questions, he would answer, we both would laugh, get embarrassed, or even happy as we both started to share our stories and getting to know one another. I never thought I'd get this close to Craig nor get to know this much about him, but as I thought, Craig does seem like a genuine and kind person, and his books really does show who Craig Tucker really is.

By the time it was getting close to twelve, I noticed more and more people coming in and I knew the lunch hour was about to begin, meaning my special time with Craig is just about over. Darn, I wanted to talk to Craig a bit more.

"Seems you're going to be busy, that's a shame, I wanted to talk to you a bit longer," Craig said. That's what I thought!

"....." I bit my lip, feeling unsure whether asking him this is crossing the line or anything. He knows I'm a fan and all, but after this, I was wondering if were friends now. Still, I guess it wouldn't hurt to try. "Hey...you know how Sundays we open a bit late and stuff?" I asked. The reason for this is because since we're located in a more religious area, most of the people will be busy with church during most of the day, so we usually open up the cafe at around twelve or so.

"Yeah?"

"...W-well....I was wondering if you uh...if you wanted to come feed the ducks with me this Sunday, i-if you're not too busy of course," I blushed.

"....Feed the ducks?"

"Yeah, you know...the ducks at the park and stuff," I muttered.

"That's...kinda random," Craig said.

I blushed and started fidgeting. Oh god, why did I say anything? He's just gonna think I'm even more weird and flat out say no. "Y-you don't have to come if you don't want to, I under-"

"No, I want go," Craig said.

I looked at him, "r-really?"

"Sure, sounds fun. What time should we meet up?"

"Um...how about...eight in the morning, unless that's too early for you," I said.

"Nah, that's perfectly fine. I'll meet you at the park at eight," Craig smiled.

"Y-yeah, great," I laughed and felt my cheeks getting warm.

Once the cafe was starting to get busy and my employees really need me at the counter, I turned to Craig, ready to say goodbye.

"I'll see you tomorrow then?" I asked.

Craig smiled, "I'll see you tomorrow, and I expect my usual...plus a matcha cake, it's really good," Craig packed up his things and started leaving.

Once he was gone, I sighed happily. I started cleaning up the table, when I suddenly noticed a phone number written on a napkin. I nearly dropped the cup when I realized that this was Craig's number. I suddenly see a little message written on the corner.

"Can't wait to feed the ducks this Sunday, be sure to text me to remind me, I tend to have a bad memory when it comes to these kind of things."

I read the message over and over, and felt my cheeks going red. I have his phone number, and I get to text him! Oh god! I was going to faint!

"Boss, if you're done being a fan boy, we really need you back here!" Amanda exclaimed.

"C-coming!" I blushed and stuffed the napkin into the front pocket of my apron.

Oh god, I can't wait to hang out with Craig on Sunday.

* * *

Her hair was like silk, her skin was quite flawless, and her lips were as red as a ruby. As I stared at her, all I wanted to do was hold her, all I wanted to do was kiss her, all I wanted to do was ask her to be my bride.

However, I knew my hopes, my dreams, my wishes will never come true. For she may look beautiful during the day, by night, she turns into a ferocious beast. Teeth like knives, wings of a bat, skin covered in sharp scales, and eyes that penetrate your very soul.

The cursed princess, so beautiful in the morning light, but becomes a beast of horror when the moon rises.

My father would tell me to stay away.

My mother would tell me to stay away.

My friends would tell me to stay away.

The servants would tell me to stay away.

My people would tell me to stay away.

No matter how many times I'm told to stay away from the cursed dragon princess, I could not. For no matter how terrifying or how monstrous she becomes at night, to me, she's the most beautiful princess I have ever met.

Call me a lunatic, call me insane, call me any of these names, but no matter what, my heart shall not change. For I...I have eyes only for the fair dragon princess, and I do hope one day, she will be my bride.

* * *

"....I can't believe I wrote this," I muttered to myself as I read my book. I usually don't read my own books since I found it weird and usually I don't need to read them since they've been engraved into my head, but when I was talking to Tweek a couple days ago, I couldn't help but feel...curious as to why he likes my books so much, hell, why does a lot of people like my books?

Now as much as I did say I enjoy writing  _Dragon Princess_ , it was one of my earlier works and I can already feel the cringe. God, what was my younger self thinking when he wrote this part where the prince would shout out to the sky and say he would climb the highest tower just to see his beloved princess? God...I wanted to gouge my eyes when I read that part.

Currently, I was riding the bus since I can't afford to get a car at the moment, I'm really trying to save enough to at least buy one in a couple of years. I was heading to the park, knowing Tweek will be waiting for me there. Today was the day we were going to feed some ducks, something I don't think I've done in a long time. I think the last time I fed ducks was when my family and I were having a picnic when I was still living with them. I did bring some duck feed with me instead of the traditional bread that people would use to feed the ducks, even though they shouldn't since bread shouldn't be given to ducks. I have read that bread isn't technically toxic to ducks, but they don't have the nutrients that ducks need, so basically, if you give a duck some bread, they're gonna be bloated and probably have stomach aches.

When I finally reached my stop, I put the book away into my bag and got off the bus. I felt excited really, to be hanging out with Tweek. I mean I'm excited in general because it's been awhile since I hung out with anyone really. My friends live in another city, so I barely get to see them, I don't really have that many friends that live close to me, and I'm basically very antisocial, but with Tweek, I guess you can say that he and I are now...friends?

The thought made me smile.

Once I reached the park, I noticed a familiar mop of blonde hair in the distance, the same hair style I would see whenever I go to the cafe, the same hairstyle that would sometimes be covered up by the sun visor hat that all the employees have to wear, including him, and he's the owner.

"Tweek!" I called out, waving my hands.

Tweek looked up and had a huge smile on his face, "Craig, you're here!" Tweek said as he ran up to me, "I was worried you weren't going to show," Tweek said.

"Why wouldn't I show? I sent you a message earlier that I would be coming soon," I said as I showed him our little conversation from earlier. He started texting me on Saturday, reminding me about the ducks and stuff, even though I already remembered since I couldn't stop thinking about it, but still, at least I finally got Tweek's number. I could have asked him for it when we were still talking, but it looked like he was busy and I kinda wasn't sure if it was alright to ask him for his, but hey, at least everything worked out in the end.

"I-I know, but I just thought you'd suddenly become busy with work and have to cancel last minute," Tweek said.

I rolled my eyes, "just because I write books doesn't mean I'll be a dick and cancel our plans," I said.

Tweek looked at me before smiling, "well I'm glad," Tweek said.

I looked at him, suddenly feeling embarrassed all of a sudden. I hope what I said wasn't too corny. "Well? Let's go feed the ducks," I said.

"Right," Tweek said, "I brought some duck feed since I know bread isn't really good for ducks."

"Same here," I took out my own duck feed from my bag, "guess we both had the smart idea here," I said.

Tweek laughed and we both headed inside the park. Once we reached the pond, we started throwing the food into the water and ground, watching all the ducks coming. We laughed when we saw how feisty some of the ducks were towards each other when two tried to get the same food, we made sure to throw more for the one that wasn't able to get it on time.

"Have you always like feeding ducks?" I asked as I continued throwing the feed.

"Yeah, I guess. At first, I only did it because my therapist said it would be calming, but now...I just did it because it's fun," Tweek said.

"Therapist?" I asked.

Tweek looked at me, "it's nothing too serious, just trying to get help with my anxiety and stuff. I use to take pills with me when I was young, but now...all I need is to take one pill in the morning and and night, and I'm good to go for the rest of the day. I stopped getting anxiety attacks during the day now," Tweek said.

I looked at him, happy to hear that, "well I'm glad. I probably would feel awful if something happened to you," I said.

Tweek stopped, "why?"

I looked at him, "well..aren't we...friends? Isn't it normal for friends to worry for each other?"

Tweek looked at me before blushing, "y-you really want to be f-friends with a fan boy like me?"

"Dude, do I look like someone who gives a damn whether you're a fan boy, stranger, or cafe owner?"

"N-no," Tweek said.

"Then it shouldn't matter. Besides...I like talking to you, it's been awhile since I enjoyed talking to people. The people I'm force to talk to each day are either annoyances or just plain assholes. Most of the time, it's both," I sighed. My mind started thinking about Freddy.

"W-well...I like talking to you too, Craig," Tweek smiled. I smiled at him and we continued feeding the ducks.

After our bags of feed were empty, we decided to talk around the park and look around. We soon found ourselves at a small bike rental shop, and I suddenly got an idea.

"Why don't we rent some bikes?" I asked.

"R-really?" Tweek asked.

"Sure, it'll be fun, come on," we walked over and rented two bikes. Once we got on our bikes, we started peddling around the park, laughing and enjoying the scenery. "Man, I don't know how long it's been since I've came to the park, it looks beautiful."

Tweek smiled, "yeah, you should totally see it in Spring, it's trees and flowers look amazing," Tweek said.

I smiled and we continued riding around, laughing and talking to each other. We soon stopped and decided to rest underneath a tree and watch the pond in front of us. We started laughing as we told stories about ourselves, and remembering our childhood memories. God, it's been so long since I've smile this much, my cheeks are starting to hurt.

"....Hey Craig, what would have to be your favorite book you've written?"

"Now that doesn't seem fair, it's as if you're asking me which of my children is my favorite," I chuckled.

"Oh just answer the question will ya?"

"Alright alright," I sighed, "...well...I guess my favorite book would be... _The Lonely Astronaut_."

"Really? Even though what inspired that was a break up?" Tweek sat up and stared at me.

I shrugged my shoulders, "to be honest...if I never had that break up, I would have never written that book, hell, I don't think I would have written any books. Even  _Princess Dragon_ was suppose to be a one time thing, I never really planned to be an actual author," I said.

"Really!?" Tweek exclaimed, sounding surprised.

I chuckled, "relax," I said, "...but yeah...I never really planned on being an author, it just...happened," I said.

"Well...what did you want to be?" Tweek asked.

"Honestly, I had no idea. I thought of being engineer, then I thought of being a mechanic, maybe even a film maker? I was so indecisive when I was in school," I said.

"So...what finally made you realize you wanted to be an author?"

"Well..after I wrote  _The Lonely Astronaut_ , and saw how popular it was getting, I kinda thought...writing wasn't so bad. One thing led to another, I joined a small publishing company, and here I am, writing books, getting the worse editor in my life, suffering from writer's block, and having to deal with annoying people," I said.

"...I-I'm not annoying...right?" Tweek asked.

"....Well-"

"Nnnnggg!"

I laughed, "I'm joking. You're far from annoying, Tweek."

Tweek stared at me before blushing, he smiled and leaned against the tree, looking quite happy. I smiled at him and we continued to look at the pond, admiring the view.

"....Anything else you want to know? I can tell you've been dying to ask me more stuff," I said.

"....When Dana and Philip got married...what the fuck happened to Timothy?"

"Yeah...that's gonna be a long story," I said.

"We have time, we still have another hour before we have to give the bikes back," Tweek chuckled.

I rolled my eyes, fan boys. "Alright, get comfy cause this will be a lot of explaining."

* * *

The astronaut stared at the princess, feeling his heart thumping in his chest, a feeling he hasn't felt since his first love back on earth. The love that he never got to tell his feelings to, the love he lost once the world came to an end.

At first, the princess was cruel towards the astronaut, almost making him into her slave, but as the two got closer, the astronaut proving his worth to the princess and her family, and how the astronaut saved the princess from the ferocious creature that lived underneath the crust of the planet, the princess came to learned that the astronaut was quite a noble being, a being she couldn't help but fall for.

"We shall wed," the princess said, feeling her cheeks growing warm.

The astronaut stared at her, feeling his heart pounding even more, but as he thought it over, he realized that he couldn't stay, not when other humans are out there, not when his sister was out there.

"We can't."

The princess stared at him, shocked, "you dare defy me?"

The astronaut tried to calm her down, "it's not that!"

"Then why do you object?" The princess asked, feeling her heart ache.

"....My sister....I must find her," the astronaut said.

"....." The princess looked away from the astronaut, huffing, acting like a spoiled child, "well go then! If you care for this...sister being so much, then leave. You're no longer a prisoner, you're no longer my pet, and you're no longer my champion, so once you leave through those doors, you'll also no longer be my prince," the princess said.

"...Ray-"

"Go!"

"....." The astronaut sighed before getting up, he walked towards the door, the astronaut turned towards the princess one last time, "....for what it's worth...I'll never regret meeting you, princess, for it's you who have stolen my heart, for it's you who have gave this astronaut the greatest gift of all time. So thank you...for everything...and I'll never forget you," the astronaut said.

The princess didn't turn.

The astronaut sighed and continued to leave for his ship. His heart ache with each step as he walks farther and farther from the princess. Ah yes, this familiar feelings, it can only be love, and just like the first, the astronaut has once again failed to convey his feelings to the one he loved.

The moment the astronaut left her room, she stared at the door, expecting the astronaut to change his mind and come back, to get on his knees and beg for forgiveness. None of that happened, the astronaut actually left, never to return to her side.

The princess began to cry. Oh how she felt completely and utterly alone in that moment.

* * *

I read the last couple of pages, feeling my heart ache. Once I was done with the book, I closed it and stared ahead, sighing. Now that I know the reason this book was created, the ending just seemed more sadder than before. I put the book away, glad that I wasn't disturbed as I read the final pages, even if I do feel a bit sad now. A part of me felt the ambiguous ending was perfect, but another part of me wished to see the astronaut be with the princess or at least returned to her, and does he even find his sister? Does the two character end up together? Oh how I wish there was one definite answer at times like this.

Still, I couldn't help but fall for the alien princess and the nameless astronaut, the two have perfect chemistry, and to end the story with the astronaut leaving after realizing his sister is alive and the princess was now feeling the same feeling the astronaut felt in the beginning...just....ugh...how I wanted those two to be together.

I felt my heart beating.

I placed my hand over my chest as I looked up and saw him. As usual he was sitting by the window, drinking his caramel macchiato, staring out of the window. He was smiling as he watched the people walking by before he turned back to his laptop, putting on his reading glasses, and started typing away, then repeating the process all over again until he finished. However, once in awhile he'll look up and stare at me. Blue eyes meeting green. He would have a smile on his face before waving at me.

My heart would race as I wave back at him. Just...what is this feeling I'm feeling right now?

Just as I was about to get back to work, a mother suddenly ran up to the counter, looking quite angry all of a sudden. I looked at her and then at her child, who seemed to be crying as he stuck out his tongue. Oh crap.

"Excuse me, but your coffee burnt my child's tongue!"

"I'm...sorry?" What am I suppose to say to that?

"You better be sorry cause I want a refund!"

"I'm sorry ma'am, but I can't do that, unless there was a hair or bug in your drinks, I'm pretty sure him burning his tongue isn't really-" The mother started screaming at my face, cutting me off entirely. My other employees as well as a few customers turned their heads to see what was happening. One of them was Craig.

"How dare you! Do you know who the fuck I am!?"

"Ma'am, in a way, isn't it your fault for giving your child coffee in the first place? I  mean, kids don't particularly need coffee and-"

"How dare you tell me how to parent, I should have you fired for this!"

"M-ma'am, I'm the owner, and if you're going to continue to be rude, then I need to ask you to leave," I really hated talking to people like this, I feel like I'm being cornered and have no way of escaping. No matter how reasonable I try to be, they just continue to put all the blame on me, and honestly...I just...can't...take it.

"Listen here you little cunt, if you don't give me back my money, I'll sue your ass for assault! I'll make sure you run out of business, and see to it that you become a homeless little-"

"Excuse me, is there a problem here?" Just as I was about to hyperventilate, I turned my head to see Craig standing there.

"What's it to you?" the mother asked.

"Well from what I'm hearing here, it seemed you're kinda being aggressive towards my friend here," Craig said, narrowing his eyes at the woman.

"Who cares, this fucker better cough up my money or else I'm going to the police!"

"Well good, cause I would love to have the police here and show them what you've really been doing," Craig said.

"What?" I asked.

"What?"

Craig pulled out his phone and showed us a video of the woman ignoring her child while the kid grabbed the mother's coffee and taking a sip, crying when he burnt his tongue. After we watched the video, the woman paled.

"Let's see...you basically ignored your child, been threatened the owner, and making false accusations? I'm pretty sure the police will be siding with Tweek here once I show them this video and I'm also certain that child protective services will be visiting really soon."

The woman glared at Craig then at me, she suddenly grabbed her son and left the cafe, not before knocking over our sign that stood outside.

"Ugh, entitled mothers are the worst," Craig said.

"....Thank you," I said, my heart was still pounding in my chest.

"....Are you alright?" Craig turned towards me and tried to look at my face, but I was too shocked and embarrassed to look at him in the eye. I mean, I'm the manager, I'm suppose to be handling situations like this better, and I just...froze. "Tweek..."

"God...I'm terrible at running my own business if I can't even handle customers like her..." I covered my face, feeling ready to cry.

"....." I suddenly felt Craig's hand on top of my head, and felt him petting me gently. My heart was racing as I looked at him. "Don't say that, never ever say that. You're an amazing person, and people like that are in the wrong. So what if you weren't able to handle it? You're only human, but as long as you can get back on your feet, learn from this, and learn to stand your ground the next time something like this happens, then you have nothing to feel ashamed of," Craig said.

I looked at him, my heart was pounding like crazy. I lifted up my head and smiled at him, "Craig...thank you so much," I said.

Craig smiled, "hey? what are friends for?" Craig patted the back of my hand. He suddenly took something out of his bag and handed over to me. I looked at it and saw that it was a poem.

"W-what's this?"

"A little poem I wrote. Sorry if it's kinda crappy, but hey...if you ever feel down, give it a read, I'm sure it'll make you feel better," Craig smiled.

"....Craig...thank you," I said as I take the poem and read it. It was beautiful. "I love it."

"I'm glad," Craig said. Craig soon went back to his table and started packing his things, he came back to the counter and said his goodbyes, "see you tomorrow, Tweek."

"See you," I smiled.

Once Craig left, I finally let go of the breath I was holding, almost falling to the ground. My heart was pounding like crazy as I clutched the paper in my hand and stared at the ground.

Holy shit, I was in love with Craig.

* * *

"....." I stared at my laptop, wondering what I should write. It wasn't a book that I was writing, thank god, it was just...a poem. Lately, I've been really into writing poems again, something I have done since college. I don't know what got me to wanting write them again, but it grew when I handed that one old poem to Tweek the other day, he looked happy to receive it.

....I suddenly got.

I began typing, feeling my heart beating as I wrote each word out.

Eyes green as the trees.  
A smile as blinding as the sun.  
A heart so carefree.  
No one can compare, not a single one.

I sighed as I stared at what I written so far, it a bit corny, but I never was a good poet, still, thinking about Tweek and all he has done, I couldn't help but write this one about him. Out of all he people I met, Tweek was truly special to me. He was always kind, a hard worker, and to me...probably the strongest person I know.

"...." I touched my chest when it started feeling weird. Wonder why? I hope I'm not getting some sort of illness.

As I continued typing, I suddenly hear my phone ringing, I picked it up and groaned when I saw that it was Freddy.

"What is it?" I sighed.

"Kid, got some big news for you."

"Oh? I finally get to take my vacation?"

"Don't be ridiculous kid," Freddy said, "now listen up. I manage to get us a book tour!"

I froze, "a...book tour?"

"That's right kid, we'll be getting on a bus and traveling around the U.S. for a few months, just you, me, and the road ahead of us. Won't it be exciting?"

Oh god, it was bad enough having to see Freddy whenever we're reviewing my books, but seeing him everyday on a cramp bus? I would rather cut off my tongue.

"That's great...." I lied.

"Isn't it? Now we have a week to get everything ready and shit, so I need you to come to my office with your things and we'll be heading on the road," Freddy said.

".....A week?" Fuck, that barely gives me enough time to tell my parents, my friends, and...Tweek.

"There a problem?"

"....No," I sighed, "no problem at all," I said.

"Good, cause if you flake out on me on this, say goodbye to your career," Freddy threatened.

"Yeah yeah," I said. Damn it, I really hate it when he say stuff like that, cause I know he can make it happen since the company love Freddy and will do whatever he says, even though I don't know why.

"Anyways kid, be sure to pack your things, we'll be leaving on Sunday," Freddy said.

I sighed, feeling tired, "alright."

I hang up once the call ended and I leaned back in my chair. Great, not only do I have to deal with Freddy for a few months with a long ass book tour, but I won't be able to see Tweek for awhile, and if I recall, he said he was going to start serving breakfast, lunch and dinner on Sunday, I was really looking forward to seeing it, seeing Tweek's dream come true.

"....Maybe I should give Tweek a call," I muttered. I was about to grab my phone, but it suddenly started ringing. It was Tweek. "Tweek!" I smiled, "I was going to call you just now," I said.

"Y-you were?" Tweek asked, his voice sounded so calming on the other line, I feel like all my worries melted away just now.

"Yeah, I was," I said, "so what's up? You rarely call me," I said.

"I....I couldn't sleep," Tweek said.

"Really?" I sat up straight, feeling concerned, "what's wrong?"

"I....I don't know how to explain it," Tweek cleared his throat, he sounded tired.

"You're not sick are you? If you are, I can come over to your place and bring you to a clinic or something," I said.

Tweek chuckled, "you're so sweet to me, Craig...and maybe that's why I'm...." He drifted off before he could finish.

"Tweek? What's gong on?" I asked.

It was silent on Tweek's side for a bit before he finally spoke, "h-hey...r-remember when...the prince finally asked the dragon princess to marry him after he broke the princess' curse?"

"Uh...I should remember that since I'm the one who wrote that ending," I chuckled. Did he really call me to ask me questions about my books? He's such a fan boy, it's kinda cute.

"Hey...do you remember how the siren finally meets the boy again after all those years and the two kissed after being apart for a long time?"

"You actually bought that one? It was recent when it came out," I said, "but yeah...I remember it...I'm so glad Freddy didn't force me to change any of the character's gender."

"....Hey...remember....remember how Angel and Damien find a new home after wondering around the barren wasteland, fighting off mutated animals and people? How they...continued to be together and start a new life in their new home?"

"I remember, Tweek," I smiled. "What's your point? Are you really gonna give a recap of all the books I've written? Cause that's a lot of books might I say."

"One more," Tweek said.

"...Okay," I was really confused now, "shoot."

"....Remember how the Ray confessed her love to the nameless astronaut, and wanted to marry him, but he ended up leaving her to search for his sister, but not before he...confessed his feelings for her?"

"....." My heart was pounding fast in my chest all of a sudden, "Tweek, what are you trying to say?"

"....The reason...I can't sleep is because....because...I kept thinking about all these endings to your books, the happy endings, the tragic endings, even the ambiguous endings. However, the one thing I focused more on was the romance between the characters, whether they finally get together, whether they've been together for a long time, or they just...can't be together...."

"....Tweek?"

"....I...I know this is crossing the line, between the writer and his fan! Hell, it's probably crossing the line on our friendship, but I-I...I need to say it....I need to say it find some peace...cause if I don't say it now...I'm just...I'm just...I-I don't even know what I'll do!"

"....." Say it. Please say it. "What?"

"....Craig...I....I really li-"

"Stop." I clutched my phone in my hand, feeling my heart pounding.

"Huh?"

"...." I closed my eyes, already hating myself for this, but I have to. "I just...before you say anything...I just...needed to tell you that...I'll be leaving town for a couple of months, I'll be going on a book tour, so...I just wanted you to know that I won't be coming to the cafe for awhile....and I won't be here to see you serving the new foods. Sorry about that," I said. My heart ached.

"....O-oh! That's...that's great, Craig, it really is! I'm...I'm happy for you!"

"....Really?" I asked, looking at the poem on my laptop. My heart continued to ache.

"....Yeah...I mean...I do wish you cold come for the grand opening of the new foods I'll be serving....I even wanted to serve you the newest lunch menu...b-but I understand! You're a busy writer...I'm just a cafe owner, we're both pretty busy doing our own things, so I understand," Tweek said.

"...Tweek....thanks," I said, I was clutching the table. "I'll...I'll miss you...when I leave," I said.

".....Craig...." It was silent for a bit, and for a second, I thought Tweek had hung up or something, but when I hear his breathing on the other line, I knew he was still there.

"Anything else you want to say?" I asked.

"....No...I...I don't," Tweek said.

"You sure? Cause this might be your last chance. I'm gonna be quite busy...with packing and telling the rest of my family...in fact...I...I might not be able to come to the cafe all week," I said.

"......" Tweek was silent once more and I looked down.

I sighed, "alright, if that's all you want to say, then I-"

"No! It's not! I have one more thing to tell you!" Tweek said.

"....." I listened closely, "go ahead..."

"....I like you. I like you a lot. I know it's...it's probably selfish of me for telling you this when you have so much going on, but...I have to tell you this.....I like you...I really like you...I love you," Tweek said.

"....." I wanted him to say it again. "I see," I cleared my throat, trying my best to calm my breathing and my heart.

"....I'll understand if you don' feel the same way, after all...I'm just a fan, and you're...you'e you...a writer....my favorite writer of all time," Tweek said.

I smiled, "Thank you," I said.

"Yeah...so um...if you feel awkward about coming to the cafe now that you know, I won't hold it against you, but please...for me at least...forget about it...and come to the cafe...I want to see you, I want to see you smiling as you watch the people around, I want to see you getting an idea for your next big book, I want to see you looking so charming with your reading glasses on, and I definitely want to see you...enjoying my caramel macchiato along with one of the baked goods I've made. So please...when you come back...please don't avoid me....I don't want to be hated by you."

"......" I held onto my phone tightly. "I can never...hate you," I said.

We were silent. Everything was silent. I can't even hear his breathing, I can't even hear mine. The only thing I can hear is my own heart beating, how it ached in my chest. This feelings...it's so familiar...the same feeling I once had when I met my first boyfriend.

"Anyways...I uh...I won't take up anymore of your time, Mr. Tucker, so...good luck with your tour...and I hope to hear from you again. Goodbye," Tweek hung up.

I kept the phone close to my ear for a few more seconds before I finally put it down. My heart was beating fast, my palms felt sweaty, and all I could think about was him. This feelings...this familiar feelings, the same one I felt so many years ago.

...Ah...it could only be love.

* * *

I headed to the office to see Freddy on Sunday. Ever since that call with Tweek, I haven't stopped by the cafe, so now that it was Sunday, the day I'm suppose to be leaving town, as well as the day Tweek would be opening up his latest menu items, I knew that today is the day I make my final decision.

My career or someone that meant the world to me.

So walked into the office, carrying a large suitcase with me. As I was walking in, I noticed the woman who asked for my autograph that day. I smiled and nodded at her, giving her a little wave. She smiled as well and waved back.

"Craig, baby, kid! You're finally here! I was wondering when you'll show up, you know how I hate it when you're late," Freddy said.

"I know, I'm sorry," I said.

"Ah, I'm just messing with you kid, don't be so serious, can't have you stressing before we start our first tour." Freddy started laughing, "ain't this exciting? The first stop of our tour will be L.A!"

"Great," I said.

"Hell yeah, now...this your stuff?"

"Yep," I said as I held up my suitcase.

"Geez kid, I know we'll be on the road for a few months, but that sure is a big suitcase, I bet you can stuff an entire human in there," Freddy said as he took note of my suitcase. "How much clothes does one guy need?"

I smiled, "oh there aren't any clothes in here," I said.

"What? Well that's stupid, you do realize we'll be going on tour for three months, right?"

"Yeah...that's the thing, I'm not going," I smiled.

"....What?"

"Yeah, so instead of me going, you can take this guy," I said as I unzipped my suitcase and took out a flat cardboard cutout of me. "Here you go."

"W-what the fuck is this!?"

"Don't you remember this? From when I was starting out? You had me wear this stupid looking turtleneck while posing like a complete douche while taking photos of me? You even created thousands of posters and standees? Remember?" I smiled. "So since I'm not going and this guy was wasting away in my closet, I thought...hey...he might come in handy, he could take my place," I said.

"Kid, you can't be serious! I can't take this thing! The book tour is suppose to have you in it!"

"Well...I guess there's no tour, you can easily cancel that, right? Oh but then again...it might be a lot of work, oops. ...Oh well, sucks to be you," I turned around and started to leave.

"I-if you leave, I'll have you fired!"

"....." I turned around and walked back towards him.

Freddy had the smuggest look on his face. "Ha, see? Now why don't you stop being an idiot, go pack up for real, and let's get on the bus to-"

I took out my phone and started dialing the number, it rang three times before I finally got it connected. "Hey...yeah...he's resisting. Mind talking to him? Great." I handed him my phone, "for you."

"....?" Freddy takes my phone and listened to the other line, he paled when he realized who it was. "S-sir, w-what's going....w-what? I-I don't know what you're...v-video...evidence? S-security cameras? T-text...messages? S-sir, you gotta understand that I was only doing that to...yes...yes I know talking to our writers like this isn't professional and is considered abuse, but....yes....I see...okay...yes...yes...yes sir...I'll...." Freddy looked at me, I smirked at him, "....I understand...I'll pack my things and leave...right after I deal with the now cancelled tour...yes sir...yes sir.." Freddy hung up and handed me back my phone.

"Funny thing really, all this time...when you were threatening to have me fired...I thought...about the tour...the conventions, and just how popular my books are around here...and that's when it finally clicked. If this company fired me, they'd be getting rid of their most valued writers here, right? And I'm sure they don't want that, so I gave the company's president a call, told him all about how you threatened me and shit, and now...I guess you're the one out of the job, and while we're at it, you're fired as my editor. Good luck finding another company that will hire you, dude," I patted him on the shoulder before finally turning around and leaving.

Once I stepped outside his office, I can hear crashing inside as well as a loud screaming before I heard sobbing. I smiled.

"See you later," I said to the woman. She nodded and looked at the door, wondering what just happened.

Once I stepped outside, I took a deep breath, feeling relieved, happy even. I know I should probably worry since I don't have an editor anymore, but after coming up with this plan last night, I also realized who I wanted to be my newest editor, and after getting a request with the president, he allowed me to have him as my editor, no matter if he's qualified or not.

I walked down the street, heading towards my favorite cafe that I would visit each and everyday, ordering the same drinking, and seeing the one person I cared most in this world.

I made it to Tweek's Cafe and I saw how crowded it was inside, guess business is blooming, especially with the new stuff that was added. I smiled as I watched Tweek happily greeting his customers at the counter. Once the line was short enough, I headed inside, enjoying the new and old smells that I loved.

I quickly got in line, Tweek doesn't seem to notice me as he is busy with helping customers at the moment. I chuckled when I noticed that his hair looked messier than before. Still, his messy hair made him look very charming. When it was my turn, I walked up to the counter, Tweek still doesn't know it was me for he had his head down, staring at his notepad.

"Hello there, welcome to Tweek's Cafe, how may I help you?"

I smiled as I leaned forward, placing my arms on the counter, "my usual, please, and maybe today's special, I would love to try it," I said.

Tweek froze. Tweek slowly lifted his head up and finally looked at me. "C-Craig?"

I smiled at him before looking up at the clock on the wall, seeing that it was now twelve, "hey...sorry I'm late, I would have come by at my usual time, but I had to take care of something, I'll tell you all about it when you're free. Now...about that special-" I suddenly felt hands wrapped around my neck, pulling me down. I felt Tweek's face nuzzling against my neck as he hugged me tightly. I smiled as I patted his back and kissed him on the side of his head. "I know...I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, I just wanted to confirm my feelings," I said.

Tweek pulled away, his eyes glazed with tears, "d-does this m-mean y-you don't hate me?" Tweek asked, his face was flushed.

I smiled and kissed a tear away, "I could never hate you, you're one of my inspirations after all, without you, I would have stopped being an author, without you...I wouldn't have finally made the most important decision in my life. So Tweek, I could never hate you because I love you," I said, placing my hands on his cheeks.

"Y-you love me?" Tweek blushed as he looked up into my eyes.

I smiled, "yes, I love you, and I want you to read my latest work, before anyone else, I want to hear your opinions, I want you to be the one to decide if my books are good enough. I want you to be by my side, as we discuss books..sharing notes...and drinking a nice cup of caramel macchiato with you," I said.

"W-what are you saying?" Tweek asked, his entire face was red.

"Tweek, will you be both my boyfriend and editor?" I asked.

Tweek looked at me, his eyes were sparkling as he wrapped his arms around me once more and pulled me down, hugging me. "I'd love to! For both! I would love to be your boyfriend and editor!" Tweek exclaimed.

I laughed, "okay okay! Calm down, your fan boy is showing," I laughed.

I pulled back and placed my hands back on his cheek, I pulled him closer and kissed him gently on the lips. It was short, but it felt amazing. His lips were soft and amazing.

"U-um...sir, I know you and your uh...now boyfriend are having a moment, but we're kinda busy here, so uh...mind wrapping it up soon?" One of the employees, I believed her name was Amanda, commented.

Tweek didn't look at her, he simply stared at me, a smile formed on his lips, "let me have this moment a bit longer...it's every fan boy's dream to be kissed by their idol you know? I'll be with you in three...five...maybe ten minutes?"

I smiled, "Yeah...ten minutes," I said, staring into his lovely green eyes.

We both looked at each other, much to the dismay of the employees and the customers that were waiting for their turn in the line. It didn't matter, cause right now, it was just me and Tweek.

* * *

This is a story about a writer and a cafe owner.

This is the story of how the two met, became the best of friends, and finally falling in love with each other.

This is a story that was meant for them and them only.

The author would write, the owner would read and listen, the author would share, the owner would add his own opinions and ask many questions. The author would confess, and the owner would accept with open arms.

This is the story about Craig Tucker, a semi-popular author, and Tweek Tweak, the owner of Tweek's cafe and Craig's new editor.

This is their story, and it ends with three words and a kiss, and maybe a cup of caramel macchiato.

"Oh god, did you actually have to add that part to this?"

"It's only the first draft, sue me."

"I'm just saying, it's kinda...random."

"Well it's not like we're gonna publish it, I wrote it for you...f-for us."

"I know...but unlike your books...this one isn't doing it for me."

"What? It has the same writing style as my other books, how is this one not doing it for you!?"

"Maybe because...it's so unreal?"

"Unreal? What's unreal about it?"

"It says that it ends with three words and a kiss, and in reality...nothing really ends with just three words and a kiss, also, it's just way too corny."

"Oh god, you might be worse than my old editor."

"Well that's what happens when you have me as both your boyfriend and editor."

"Alright, I'll change a few things here and there...but I'm keeping the ending cause...it can end with just three words and a kiss."

"Oh really? Mind....demonstrating."

"....Tweek...I love you."

"...You know...technically, that was four words, not three."

"...Yes please."

Craig leaned forward, placing a kiss on Tweek's lips as they continue to sit in the cafe, papers and porcelain cups surrounding them.

"Say it," Craig smiled.

Tweek laughed, "I love you."

Craig smiled and leaned forward to kiss him once again.

_**The End.** _

**Author's Note:**

> Btw, if you guys want me to make a creek version of all the fake books I mentioned here, don't hesitate to tell me in comments or in my inbox on my tumblr, Roseyblogstuff. If I do make it, of course I'll change a few things here and there and of course change the fake characters into Creek. So....yep!


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